The first game in the series is officially published! "StarStabber Zirc: Gemstone Collect-'Em-Up" is an in-browser 2D puzzle maze with nineteen levels, infinite lives, wacky collage graphics, and a bunch of different weirdos all trying to stop Zirc from collecting precious Plot Crystals. It's free, but if you like it I'd be super thankful if you could toss a little tip my way so I can keep working on the series.

Note: there is a minor display issue where, in my naivety as a new designer, I thought it would be fine to make a game 2000x2000 and computers would be smart enough to resize it, but that has turned out not to be the case. I'm hoping I can get that fixed in a future update, but in the meantime just zoom your browser waaaay out.

Master tag list:

I'm still a long way from understanding how to make a 2.5D beat-em-up, but after two weeks of rigorous work I was able to make this game here, so...maybe eventually?

Wilfred Brambell in 1971, photo by Jon Lyons

#actor #tv #bbc #1970s https://www.instagram.com/p/CpFj4vvMwsx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Stacked dragon from the anti smoking psa “The Huffless Puffless Dragon”

A lot of great dragon/monster designs in here

↻ ʀᴇᴘʟᴀʏ ⇉ sᴋɪᴘ ♡ ʟɪᴋᴇ

I got a little out of practice drawing in the past few weeks but this looks like a really easy building to imitate. Malamiko GmbH Corporate HQ? Either way the window in Emil’s office should be shaped like his monograph

Yoooooo!!!!

(see also the sound effect section on https://opengameart.org/art-search-advanced)

6-5: Malamiko GmbH Executive Suites

I’ve talked about all kinds of minutia, but haven’t mentioned the final boss! Inspired by the Giant Space Flea From Nowhere trope where otherwise realistic video games have ridiculous final bosses (in particular N.A.R.C.’s drug lord that turns into a giant head that shoots tongues and Growl’s poacher crimeboss turning out to be possessed by one of the alien monsters from Darius), when the Bureau finally confronts Emil Malamiko in his office, he summons ancient evil and turns into a horrific demon. (Spoiler, it’s actually just yet another costume made by il Professore, and once you fight it he pops out and tries to run away.)

I thought maybe it would work to have the unexpected demon be in a completely different graphic style by importing an old woodcut (Beelzebub from the Dictionaire Infernal), but I’m not sure. What do y’all think, cool and unexpected contrast or distracting weirdness brought on by too much collage-work on my simpler game idea, StarStabber Zirc?

Ooh I know how to make the demon form’s stand out while also fitting in with the mid-century style: wiggly jagged shapes

Musée d'art contemporain de Niterói, Brésil, conçu par Oscar Niemeyer. - source The Vault of the Atomic Space Age.

U-Bahn Station Marienplatz, München, Germany #brutgroup photo by Andreas Gyo @an_crven via #utilitarianarchitecture https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnq_ISdsrAX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Futuristic Sets “Jane’s Driving Lesson” (1963)

I can find some reason to fit a suburban neighborhood into Wassnabeu, right? A street of kitchens?

Markhor Goat Head - copper alloy, shell, and red stone - Sumerian, Early Dynastic III, c. 2550–2250 BCE 

Real tempting to use this as a recurring background motif...

Possible design for the Bistro District where the Orbu Bros are based; while the gang is all over, each cafe/bistro/restaurant has a single Super Orbu that has to be found and beaten to unlock the boss area with sketchy businessman "Suppen Kaspar" Gutsman

Église Saint-Remy, Baccarat, Nicolas Kazis, 1953-57. Photography by Gregor Zoyzoyla